Buzz Factory. Promoting Brands Responsibly™.

The eco movement is moving with dizzying speed. Just when you think you’re on top of what’s hot…you’re not. The bad news is, things are just going to change even faster in the coming months and years as green technology advances. The good news is it’s good for the environment and our health. As marketers, staying on top of the trends is just part of the job. Here are a few trends to watch.

Eco-Iconic - Eco-iconic is defined by TrendWatching.com as Eco-friendly goods and services sporting bold, iconic markers and design, helping eco-conscious owners show off their eco-credentials to their peers.

At the heart of eco-iconic is a status shift. Many consumers are eager to flaunt their green behavior and possessions because there are now millions of other consumers who are actually impressed by green lifestyles. (www.trendwatching.com)

This trend is especially relevant to marketers because it can influence how we position our products and services with consumers. Leveraging this trend is tricky because it can affect all aspects of your product, not just how you market it. An eco-iconic product isn’t just green, it shows the world that it’s green.

Marketers of the iconic brands of today (e.g. Nike, Mtv, ipod, Starbucks) may find it difficult to reposition themselves as eco-iconic brands without risking, or at least changing, what their brands currently stand for. Brands best positioned to take advantage of this trend already have a significant green component (e.g. Toyota Prius, TreeHugger.com, Tesla Roadster). More traditional and established brands may find it easier to develop a line extension as a way to redefine their brands (think Adidas Eco Collection). Time will tell whether these line extensions will reach eco-iconic status or if this trend is just another fad.

Eco-Embedded - Defined as making our current products and processes more sustainable.

Certainly this has less glitter and Buzz Factor than does eco-iconic, but it still delivers the street cred marketers long for these days. Even though consumers are not showing the world they’re green, they still get that feel-good feeling knowing that the product or service they’re using isn’t harming the environment.

In time, companies may find this trend stops being a trend and becomes standard operating procedure. Certainly this is the case with the new breed of Social Entrepreneurs who start companies with eco-embedded products and services as part of their business plan. Larger companies will have a more difficult time changing entrenched business practices, but government regulation and consumer pressures will eventually force their hand.

As marketers, there are pitfalls around trying to take advantage of this trend when our products and processes aren’t legitimately eco-embedded. Everyone’s heard of Greenwashing. Few get away with it with all the watchdogs out there. It’s like I always say, nothing kills a bad product faster than good marketing. And in consumers’ minds, a product is bad when it doesn’t deliver on its promise.

Eco-Boosters - These are the uber-green products or services of the future that boost the environment, not just offsetting their impact on it.

Imagine cars that actually clean the air while you drive. Crazy? Not really. They’re on drawing boards right now and some eco-boosters are even being built toady. One example is an Energy Plus office building in Paris designed by the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill that will have the largest solar roof array in the world. It will actually produce more electricity that it consumes.

The bigger question of whether to go green is likely on the minds of most senior managers today. Is the green movement just a fad? Do we make the infrastructure changes necessary to be greener? Can we make cosmetic changes and just market ourselves as green? Alas, marketers don’t always have a say in manufacturing or product development decisions. But the question marketers can ask themselves is, can my organization afford to play catch-up after my competitors have already established themselves as the green alternative?